DirecTV Joins Blue States Opposing Nexstar’s $3.5 Billion Deal

DirecTV sued to block Nexstar Media Group Inc.'s plans to acquire its competitor Tegna Inc. for $3.5 billion, adding to litigation brought by several states including New York and California that also seek to halt the deal.

Nexstar’s proposed deal would irreversibly lessen competition in the market for distribution rights that broadcast station owners sell to multichannel video programming distributors such as DirecTV, according to a complaint filed Wednesday in the US District Court for the Eastern District of California.

The acquisition, announced last year, would combine two of the largest television broadcasting companies and bring together a portfolio of ...